Category: Archive-Home Tips

**Update. Since the newsletter went out later this month than expected, the deadline for ordering pine needles and mulch has been extended to June 15th 2009.**

The Villages of Leacroft HOA Board is working with Nicholson Farms for bulk delivery of pine needles and mulch at a bulk rate discount. Orders will be collected through May 31, and delivery will occur early June. If we order more than 500 bales as a neighborhood, it will be Saturday delivery. Otherwise, it will be a Wednesday delivery. Spreading is available for $1.95/bale.

Congratulations to our neighbor on Chadsworth Court who was awarded with Yard of the Month in May for their beautiful manicured lawn and azaleas that were in full bloom. Each Yard of the Month winner receives a $25 gift card to Harris Teeter. Yard of the Month chairperson is Bob Matthews, and we thank him for helping us reward our neighbors who keep the neighborhood looking beautiful!

As homeowners, the USPS charges us with the responsibility to maintain our mailboxes and posts in good working order.Also, as members of the Leacroft community, it is in our own best interest maintain the appearance and uniformity of our mailboxes in the neighborhood as a component that contributes to the overall appearance of our community.This has a direct impact to the market value of our properties.

In the next few weeks, you may receive a letter from Holloway Management if your mailbox and/or post is in need of repair or does not conform to the HOA guidelines.All that may be necessary is a little sanding and repainting of the mailbox and post and maybe resetting the post.However, if you feel that replacement is required, for your convenience, we have contacted a company that sells replacement mailboxes and posts to match the ones we currently have and have been approved by the HOA.

You may contact them directly to purchase your mailbox and post at retail or you can contact Pamela Wisniewski, you new HOA board Secretary, if you would like to work with your neighbors to get a group discount. Carolina mailboxes can also replace the house numbers for your mailbox for $1/digit.They accept all major credit cards or checks by mail at the time of purchase.Contact and pricing information is below.

Many of our Leacroft neighbors have wireless networks, but how many of us are sure that they are secure? Unsecured wireless networks can be vulnerable to hackers or even unknowing neighbors accidentally stealing your bandwidth. Some tips for securing your home network:

1) Change the administrative password on your router. The factory default is the same on all routers of the same brand, so it isn’t rocket science for someone to guess if you haven’t changed it from the default.

2) Turn off SSID broadcast. You know when your computer searches for available wireless networks and a handful other than your own are found? Well, turning off the SSID broadcast prevents this and requires you to know the SSID to be able to connect to that network.

3) Use some kind of encrypted password to connect to your wireless network. WPA is suggested over WEP, but either is better than leaving your network wide open.

4) Turn on MAC filtering. Your computer’s MAC address is like your cars VIN. If you make it where only registered MAC addresses are allowed on your wireless network, it ensures only your household computers can get access.

5) Change the default channel. Like cordless phones, many routers have different channel frequencies. By changing the channel, it makes it less likely to interfere with your neighbor’s network and sometimes even your own cordless phones.

First the bad news: if you neglect spring lawn care (and related concerns pertaining to your mower), you could end up paying for it the rest of the year. Now the good news: spring lawn care doesn’t entail nearly the amount of work that you’ll have to invest in mowing alone throughout the summer months.

TIP #1: Raking
Raking will be your first task of spring lawn care. Raking is for more than just removing leaves: it’s for controlling thatch, too. A thatch build-up of more than 1/2 inch is considered excessive.

When you rake the leaves, make the effort to rake deeply. Don’t just skim the surface, so as to remove the leaves. A deep raking will remove thatch, too, allowing you to kill two birds with one stone. Even if you followed this advice in fall, a spring raking is still recommended: it will remove grass blades that died over the winter — dead blades that are just waiting to become thatch!

Tip #2: Liming
Besides compaction, the presence of moss plants also signals acidity. But grass likes a neutral soil pH. You can solve this problem by liming your soil.

But first send a soil sample to your local county extension to determine the extent of your soil’s acidity. The county extension will also be able to advise you on how much lime per square foot you’ll need. Apply the lime using a lawn spreader. If your lawn has been doing fine and shows no signs of suffering from acidity, don’t apply lime. Liming is only a corrective measure, not a preventive measure. A soil that is too alkaline will also cause you lawn problems, so too much lime is as bad as not enough.

TIP #3: Over seeding
Is your lawn riddled with bare patches due to dog spots, heavy traffic or neglect? If so, you may need to apply grass seed to fill in those bare patches. This solution is known as “over seeding lawns.” Apply a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer when you over seed. Five weeks after the grass germinates, apply a quick-release nitrogen fertilizer. Even though the Fall is the preferred time for over seeding lawns, because our situation is dire, it is recommended.

TIP #4: Fertilizing
Many experts recommend a lighter feeding in spring and a heavier one in fall. Too much fertilizer in spring can lead to disease and weed problems. In addition to the above tasks of spring lawn care, don’t forget weed control and making sure your mower is ready for the mowing season.